Destination of final seats is heavily dependent on transfers

THE geographical and past party ties of some candidates in Cork South Central could play a key role in how transfers decide the last one or two seats.

The Irish Examiner/Red C poll shows Fianna Fáil’s outgoing TD Michael McGrath losing out for the final of the five seats to Fine Gael’s Senator Jerry Buttimer by less than 350 votes and less than 900 off outgoing Fine Gael TD Deirdre Clune’s final tally.

But any minor deviations from these first preference figures on February 25, or in the transfer patterns suggested here, could see a change in how at least one of the fourth and fifth places is allocated. The poll outcome shows four candidates — Buttimer, McGrath, Clune and Sinn Féin councillor Chris O’Leary, who ran for the Greens on the northside in 2007 — being in with a clear shout for the last pair of seats.